hunter



R. M. HUNTER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

N0. 593,051 Patented Nov. 2,1897.

(No Model.) V 4 7 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

3 R E T N U H M (No Model.)

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

N0. 593,051. Patented Nov. 2, 1897.

UNITED ST TES PATENT @FFTCE.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRIC CAR COMPANY OF AMERICA, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,051, dated November 2, 1897. Application filed September 23, 1886. erial No. 214,309. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, of the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric RaiL ways, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention has reference to electrical railways; and it consists in certain improvements, all of which are fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a partthereof. I

This application embodies certain features for supplying electricity to vehicles for the purpose of propelling, lighting, controlling, and otherwise operating them. The details will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a car, showing arrangement of motors and electric circuits generally. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing how the suspended conductors may be supported. Fig. 3is a plan view of same. Fig. 4 is a cross-section through the working conductor and its clamps onlinea; 50. Fig. 5 shows a modified way of supporting the working conductor for the purpose of putting it into and out of circuit when the vehicle is passing. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of the motor-truck and conduit. Fig. 7 is a crosssection of an inexpensive form of conduit.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the conduit, conductors, and collectors; and Fig. 9 is a cross-section of the conduit, showing a modification of my invention. 4

A are vertical posts, of wood, formed insulated and as supports for the working suspended conductors B B, which may be'secured to pivoted levers 3*, weighted at b to counterbalance the weight of the conductor. These levers B are hinged to a plate 6 bolted or otherwise secured to the post A. The generator of electricity A may be connected directly with these working conductors or may be connected to supply-conductors b b, preferably insulated and permanently connected with the posts, which supply-conductors are electrically connected with the working conductors either through the plates 22 or the branch conductors b, whereby the supply and working conductors are connected at inter- Fig. 2. I

A are the rails of the railway, upon which the electrically-prepelled vehicle runs and are arranged parallel to the working conductors.

The car or vehicle is provided with a suitable support and contact wheels or col: lectors C C secured thereto and insulated from each other, and said wheels run under the conductors B B, receiving the current therefrom.

The conductors may be counterbalanced sufficiently to reduce the frictional contact to just what is necessary to make a good electrical contact, and as said wheels are higher than the normal highest position of the conductors the cables are slightly raised as the wheels pass along under them, as shown. Theleverconnection also prevents the cable-conductors from being dragged along the line, causing them to have fixed relative longitudinal position with the road-bed.

In place of supporting the conductors by levers, as above described, the cables may be supported normally in the metal brackets. In this construction the rollers or collectingwheels 0 on the car lift the cables or conductors up clear of the brackets while passing under them and over the said brackets. These working conductors may be connected to the generator and normally rest in insulated supports K, as shown in Figs. 6 and 9.

The method of joining the sections of working conductors is shown in Sheet 2.

The ends tors, as shown in Fig. 2.

The clamp B so I of any desired length and may have as many or as'fewsupports and connections with the;

formed is hung to the lever 13 directly .or through the mediation of alinkla. here it is desired to simply support the'conductor,

the clamp may be substituted by a strap, as If these sections of'the" indicated in Fig. 5. conductors are not insulated from each other,

then the working conductor would be con-f wire bfior through one or .moreof the lever: Of course it is evident that connections. these sections of working conductors may be supply-conductor as desired.

to the construction shown in Fig. 5.

lated from the working conductoror its lever B and combined with a branch conductor "levers 13?, whereby, when the levers are down,

. the conneotion'with the working conductors is broken, but when raised by apassingcar then the 'levers will ?be raised and close the connection through the switch .A, supplying torbrought indirect use. This arrangement enablesthe use-of insulated supply-conductors and prevents excessive loss due .to leakage from thebared and exposed'working conductors.

circuit for the current.

along-the road-bed beneath the car or in slottedconduits, from'which the conductors may be raised to make contact with the collectors on the car, or depending collectors may be suspended from the car and project'through the slot-towork-in connection with the working-conductors. The first of these constructions is illustrated in Fig. 6 and the'latter in Fig. 0.

Referring now to Figs. 6, 7, and 8, we have the conductors-B B,su-spended upon insulated supports as 70, located within the conduit K and below the slot and said conductors are drawn up through the slot and passed around guide-wheels Land over (preferably) driven contact-or collector wheels L, carried by the traveling motororvehiele. These guide and collector wheels are .supported'in and insulated from a suitable frame D, preferably hung from the axles d of the supporting carwheels D ably arranged in advance of each other and place in the slot.

projected by plates of iron k electricity to the-sections of working conduc- 1 These wheels L L are prefer-' to one side of the slot, and the guide-wheels L L,.al-so .in advanceof each other and in line with the slot, the object of this arrangement being to keep the bare conductors separated from each other, as is clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 8, and thereby prevent both conductors tpassing at one time through the same The wheels ,L supply the current to the motor-circuit E by means of brushes Z, pressing upon their axles. The

surface speed of the wheels L should be equal to that of the wheels D or the travel of the motor, and to obtain this the wheels L are provid ed with-suitable gearing S, which mesh .tor-wheels D and collector-wheels L, the

So far We have considered the working con- "ductors'as permanently connected to the gen- 1 -erator either direct or through the supply conductors; lwould nowrefer specifically. Here f we have thesupply-conductor normally insuobject of this construction being to {prevent any dragging on the cables in the conduit and yetiadmit of apositive-contact. hen the conductorsare raised out of the'conduit, as above set out, the slot-walls must be insulatedoran insulated guide for the cables extend below the slot and be carried by the car.

Fig. 27 is'a cheap form of construction for the conduit. Itisformed of the wooden sills K, arranged parallel upon cross.ties,, with In place of drawing the conductors up out of the conduit the construction shown in Fig. 9 maybe used. Depending from the axles d of the car are two frames D, which-carry transversely-movable slides c, from which is suspended the collector-frames 0. Adjustably clamped in this frame by screws 0 is the collector-bar C, containing insulated conductors which terminate below the conduit in the collector-wheels C arranged, preferably, one on each side of the slot and collector-bar, andas the car moves along the collector-bar and its frame follow the variations in the slot and cause the conductors to be raised as the collector-wheels pass along under them.

Referring to the construction of conduit preferred, attention is-called 1130 Figs. 6 and 9. A series of cast-ironbrackets K are arranged parallel along the line of the railway. To these are secured the rails A (preferably of the I-beam form) by clamps K or otherwise, and along their middles are bolted the slotirons K which are preferably formed obliquely and approach at the top to make the slot 70. Immediately below these slot-irons the brackets are made open to form a continuation of the conduit K, and the spaces upon the sides of the conduit between the brackets may'befilled in with wood K .and the bottom and'space outside of the planking or wooden sides is filled in with concrete or masonry K. The upper parts of the brackets are also provided with projections k upon which the insulating-supports k for the conductors B B are supported. From this it is seen that the conductors are arranged in the longitudinal passage formed above the brackets and by the slot-irons, constituting in effect an electrical conduit, whereas the lower and larger conduit proper, K, is used only for carrying olf dirt, water, and slush and may connect with the sewer in any of the wellknown ways. 1

Referring now to the construction of the passenger electric car or vehicle shown in Figs. 1 and 6, D is a motor-frame preferably supported upon the car-axles (Z or their boxes, the car-body being in most cases supported on springs. To this frame D one or more electric motors D are secured, all preferably having the same shaft or armature -shaft, which is also preferably set on an incline. Carried upon the ends of this shaft are the worms 1), which mesh with worm-wheels D on the axles (Z of the car, one of these worms being above one worm-wheel and the other below the other worm-wheel. The obliquity of tlie armature or motor shaft is not necessary, though desirable. To enable the motor to start up without having to overcome the full resistance due to the inertia of the stationary car, I make the worms longitudinally movable upon the motor-shaft D and provide springs d upon each end and surrounding the shaft, though this particular arrangement of the springsis immaterial. It will be seen that upon starting the rotation of the motor-shaft the first impulse of the worms would be to screw on or over the stationary worm-wheel, compressing the springs, and thus gradually increasing the resistance to the revolution of the motor-shaft. This enables the motor to exert far greater power at starting, requiring a much smaller motor to overcome the inertia of the car than would be required if the worms were fast upon the motor-shaft. It is evident that the worm should be sufficiently long to allow of this travel over the worm-wheel without running off the same. It is not necessary to have the worms work against springs on both ends if there be two worms, for if a single spring is on opposite ends of these two worms then either one or the other of said springs would take the thrust in starting the motor forward or backward. This last construction would be as if we removed the spring (1 on the left hand of the motor-shaft in Fig. 1.

Referring again to Fig. 1, E is the motorcircuit, supplying current from the collectors to the motors. To enable the proper governin g of all the motors most perfectly, I connect all of the armatures of the difierent motors, be they on one car or on one train, in one circuit E and all of the field-magnets in another circuit E, each provided with a current-indicator a: c. The armature-circuit E has a resistance-changer a: e and current-reverser E while the field-magnet circuit E has its own resistance -changer c and current re- .verser E By this means the armature-circuit may be regulated, cut out, or have its current reversed without affecting the field, and vice versa. These circuits may include the field-magnets and armatures in series, as indicated in Fig. l, or multiple arc, as indicated in Fig. 6.

In the construction shown in Fig. 6 a single-current reverser E and an indicator 9 are used for the combined motor-circuit, compressing both circuits E E and in this case the motor-circuit is divided beyond the current-reverser and formed into the field-magnet and armature-circuits, as before. The motors shown in Fig. 6 have revolving armatures, and the fie1d-circuit E is divided, including both sets of field-magnets in multiple arc. The motors are shown with a single commutator for both armatures, and current from the circuit E is divided between both armatures and then reunited and combined with the current from the field-circuit and then passes to the collectors. This is an advantageous construction in shunt-wound dynamos, as in starting it is desirable to have a strong field, then gradually increase the armature-cu rrent, and finally gradually weaken the field strength. These circuits E and E may be broken by switches X and Z.

In conclusion, I would state that I do not limit myself to the details of construction, as they may be modified in various ways without departing from my invention, which comprehends, broadly, the construction herein set out, the same being entirely novel at the date of my invention, as far as I am aware.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- l. In an electric railway, the combination of a slotted conduit, a flexible conductor within the conduit, a traveling car, stationary insulating-supports Within the conduit for said conductor and a grooved current-collecting device making a running contact with the conductor and arranged adjacent to the plane of the slot of the conduit.

2. In an electric railway, the combination of a slotted conduit arranged along the railway, a conductor loosely supported within the conduit upon transverse insulating-supports, a traveling car, and a positively-rotated current-collecting contact making an underrunning contact with the conductor.

IIO

supported thereon and capable of being withdrawn through the slot.

5. In an electric railway, a suspended working conductor, a traveling vehicle, a motor on said vehicle, an electrical connection between the motor and said conductor, and positive feeding devices to feed the conductor past the vehicle with a speed commensurate with the motor and said conductor, a rotating collecting and feed wheel over which the conductor travels, and connecting gearing between said feed-wheel and axle whereby the surface speeds of the feed-wheel and vehiclewheels will be the same.

8. In an electric railway, a suspended working conductor, a traveling vehicle, a motor on said vehicle, an electrical connection between the motor and said conductor, a rotating col: lectingand feed wheel over which the conductor travels, connecting gearing between said feed-wheel and axle whereby the surface speeds of the feed-wheel and vehicle-wheels will be the same, a slotted conduit for said suspended conductor having insulated side walls to enable the conductor to pass up through the slot and over the collector and feed wheels..

9. In an electric railway, the combination of two flexible suspended working conductors, a slotted conduit in which they are normally located, a traveling vehicle, an electric motor on said vehicle, two collecting and feed wheels carried by the vehicle and located one in advance of the otherand over which the conductors pass whereby only one conductor is raised through the slot in the same place at one time so as to avoid short-circuiting the Working circuit.

10. In an electric railway, the combination of a slotted conduit having the edge adjacent to the slot formed of insulating material, an

electrically-propelled vehicle provided with a current-collector, and flexible conductors extending from within the conduit up through the slot to the collectors and back through the slot to a position within the conduit again. 11. In an electric railway, the combination of a' loose conductor extending along the railway, a traveling vehicle, an electric motor to rotate the axle of the vehicle, a rotary current-collectin g device over which the cond uctor passes,and a power-transmittin g mechanism between the electric motor andthe rotary current-collector.

l 12. In an electric railway, the combination of a loose conductor extending along the railway, a traveling vehicle, an electric motor to rotate the axle of the vehicle, a rotary current-collecting device around which the conductor passes, a power-transmittin g mechanism between the electric motor and the rotary current-collector, power-transmitting devices between the motor and axle, in which the power-transmitting devices between the motor and axle and the collector are such that the surface speed of the collector along the conductor is equal to the surface speed of the vehicle-wheels along the rails.

13. In an'electric railway, the combination of the electric conductor extending along the railway, an electrically-propelled vehicle, and a positively-rotated current-collectin g device carried by the vehicle and making a traveling contact with the conductor.

14. In an electric railway, the combination of a conductor extending along the railway, a support for the conductor between the rails,

an electrically-propelled vehicle, and a rotat in g contact-wheel traveling against the under surface of the conductor carried by the vehicle at an elevation above the rails of the railway.

15. In an electric railway, the combination of a suspended conductor extending along the railway and having its under surface exposed for contact with the current-collector, an electrically-propelled vehicle having itsbodysupportedon theaxles by springs, an electric motor to propel the car, and a current-collecting device supported upon the axles of the car independently of the car-body and making an underrunning contact with the conductor.

16. In an electric railway, the combination of a suspended conductor extending along the railway and having its under surface exposed for contact with the current-collector, an electrically-propelled vehicle having its body supported on the axles by springs, an electric motor to propel the car and a current-collecting device supported upon the axles of the car independently of the car-body and making an under-running contact with the conductor, said collector consisting of a grooved contactwheel arranged above the level of the trackrails and beneath the car-body.

17. The combination in a railway-car of a body supported upon springs, field-magnets supported by the axle independent of the carbody, a rotating armature rotatingwithi'n the field magnets and mechanically geared or connected-with the axle, a lighting-circuit on the car-body containing lamps in parallel, flexible circuits connecting the lighting-cir- *cuits with the armature and field-magnets, a reversing-switch to reverse the armature relatively to the field, a secondary battery carried on the car-body, and switches for connectin g or disconnecting the battery electrically with the armaturecircuit.

18. The combination in a railway-car of secondary batteries supported by the axles upon springs, field-magnets supported by the axle ture interposed in the circuit between the armature-brushes and batteries whereby the batteries maintain electrical connection With the lighting circuit while electrically connected or disconnected with the armature.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER. Witnesses:

RIoHD. S. CHILD, Jr, E. M. BRECKINREED. 

